Rotary steam-engine.



J. W. JOHNSON. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION 11mm mus, 1909.

Patented Dea 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. w. JOHNSON-J ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1909.

942,205. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHBZT 2.

i iulll JOHN W. JOHNSON, OF IB ISBEE, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Serial No. 505,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN T. JOHNSON, a subject of the King of Sweden,residing at Bisbee, in the county of Cochise and Territory of Arizona,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary SteamEngines, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention relates to steam engines of the rotary type, and hasparticular reference to devices of this character embodying certainspecific novel and advantageous fea tures of construction hereinafterfully de scribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1 is an elevation of the device, partly insection and partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectionof the engine cylinder and the parts immediately associated therewith;Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional detail substantially on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1; Fig. at is a detail perspective view of one of the pivotalpiston abutments, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the adjusting devicehereinafter described.

'lhre-ughout the following description and on the several figures of thedrawings similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the engine cylinder is rigidly supported inany suitable manner as by a base 11. The cylinder is substantiallycylindrical and comprises a circumferential wall 12, which is circularon its inner surface for slightly more than half of its extent andhaving an eccentric portion 13 extending inwardly toward the axis of thecylinder. The cylinder also includes a pair of lateral disks l and 15,secured rigidly, as by bolts or screws 16, to said annular portion 12. Amovable or adjustable cylinder section 17 is connected at one end bymeans of bolts 18 to the member 12 and having its free end cooperatingwith said eccentric portion 13 on the interior of the cylinder. Saidfree end 17 is concentric with the axis of the cylinder, while the otherportions of the member 17 are eccentric. The member 12, furthermore, israbbeted at 12 on the side or edge adjacent to the plate or disk 14.

The engine shaft 19 extends centrally through the cylinder 10 and issupported therein by a pair of stufling boxes or bearings 20 and 21. Theengine piston 22 is con nected rigidly in any suitable manner to saidshaft whereby the latter is driven for the purposesof the device. Thepiston is substantially cylindrical and is concentric with the cylinderand the outer periphery of the piston cooperates with the concentricportion 17 of the movable cylinder section 17. The piston is providedwith a plurality of abutments 23, pivoted to the same near the outerperiphery and adapted to lie snugly against the piston and to operateoutwardly therefrom against the inner wall of the cylinder section 12 asshown in Fig. 1.

A disk or wear plate 25 is connected rigidly as by screws 25 to one faceof the piston. The diameter of said disk is con siderably greater thanthat of the iiston, and said disk operates in the rabbet 12 of thecylinder section 12. The abutm'ents 23 are mounted on pins 26 connectedto the disk 24. A plurality of plungers 27, operating in the piston,tend to throw the abutments 23 outwardly on their pivots 2G, by virtueof springs 28 located between the plungers and the piston.

Live steam is admitted into the cylinder through the pipe 29 and port30, and the abutments having been thrown outwardly by the plungers justafter passing the port 30 receive the impact of the said live steam, theabutments in such position cooperating with the inner wall of thesection 12. The force of the steam is effective on each abutment untilthe succeeding abutment comes into operation. As soon as each abutmentreaches the exhaust port 31 the steam escapes and after a slightlyfurther movement of the piston said abutment is caused to be pressedinwardly against the tension of the spring 28 by virtue of the eccentricmember 17 One purpose of the member 17 with its concentric portion 17 isto insure a proper steam tight joint or connection between the pistonand the cylinder just in the rear of the admission port 30. A plunger32, by operation of a strong spring 33, tends to maintain a properdegree of friction between the piston and said member 17 The tension ofsaid spring may be regulated by a screw 34 connected to the cylinder.

The stuffing box 21 includes a pair of bolts 35 on which nuts 36 operateto set the gland 21 with a proper degree of tension. The bolts 35 extendoutwardly to a considerable extent from the disk 15 and support in apeculiar manner the tension mechanism connected to the engine shaft 19for the purpose of maintaining the proper degree of tension laterallybetween the piston and the parts of the cylinder cooperating therewith.A plate 37, through which the shaft passes freely, is provided with endholes receiving the outer ends of the bolts 35, the inner face of saidplate 37 being adjustably supported against a pair of nuts 38. A coilspring 39 surrounds the shaft and has one end secured to said plate 37.The other end of the spring 39 is secured to a collar 40 between whichand another collar 41 the e maybe interposed a series of antifrictionalrolls to reduce the friction. The collar 41 has a screw threadedconnection to the shaft 19 and normally rotates therewith. Vhen theproper degree of tension is obtained on the spring 39 by screwing thenut 40 toward the same on the shaft the collar etl may be locked inposition by set screw 12 and a lock nut 43. The effect of the spring isto cause a lateral thrust of the shaft 19 and piston toward the left asindicated in Fig. 2 so as to cause the main portion of the piston tocooperate with the disk 15 and the outer margin of the plate 2% tocooperate with the rabbeted edge of the member 12. The piston isprovided with a recess 22 so as to reduce the surface contact betweenthe piston and the disk 15. When necessary to tighten the piston againstthe cooperating parts of the cylinder it is only necessary to adjust thenuts 38 outwardly toward the ends of the bolts 35, and since said boltsand associated parts do not rotate such adjustment may be adjusted whilethe engine is running.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The herein described rotary steam engine comprising, in combination,a cylinder having a section thereof eccentrically formed and a pivotalcontinuation of said eccentrically formed section, one end thereof beingrigidly connected to the main portion of the cylinder and the other endbeing free, the

extremity thereof being eccentric with the cylinder, a piston rotatablymounted within the cylinder and having a plurality of abutmentspivotally secured thereto for cooperat-ion with the inner wall of thecylinder, a live steam port adjacent the free end of the said eccentricsection, means to cause the abutments to cooperate with the cylindercomprising spring pressed plungers, adjustable spring means to cause thefree end of the said movable cylinder section to cotipcrate with theouter periphery of the piston, and means whereby said abutments may restflush with the periphery of said piston when the latter is in contactwith the said eccentrically formed section of the cylinder, as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. The herein described rotary steam engine comprising, in combination,a hollow cylinder comprising a circular member and two oppositelydisposed face plates secured to said circular member, said circularmemher being rabbeted on one edge next to the face plate adjacentthereto, a shaftjournaled concentrically in said cylinder, a pistonsecured to said shaft, said piston including a disk bearing against therabbeted portion of said circular section, the main portion of thepiston bearing against the inner wall of the opposite disk, and means toadjustably vary the degree of friction between the piston and thecylinder parts cooperating therewith, said adjusting devices including apair of non-rotary members surrounding the shaft, a coil spring betweensaid members, and a collar secured to the shaft and cooperating with oneof said non-rotary members, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. JOHNSON.

Vitnesses A. R. CAnLsoN, F. C. HURST.

